DADU: Three suspects were booked after they were nominated in the alleged gang-rape of a nine-year-old deaf girl in Fuji Jamali village of the Wahi Pandhi area in Kachho belt, Dadu district, on Monday.

The suspects are said to be members of an affluent family.

An uncle of the victim complained to police that the victim had left her home as a daily routine to deliver meals to her father, who was busy working in his farmland, when the suspects caught hold of her on the way and subjected her to rape.

They fled after committing the crime, leaving her in a serious condition, the complainant further alleged. Later, some residents of the village saw her lying in the field and informed her parents, said the complainant, adding that she was rushed to the Johi Taluka Hospital where doctors were striving to save her life.

Soon after the incident, leaders and activists of the Child Rights Committee, along with the affected family and other residents of the area, staged a noisy demonstration in front of the Dadu Press Club and demanded arrest of the suspects.

CRC Coordinator Niaz Ahmed Chandio and his colleague Sajid Mastoi, speaking to the protesters, condemned the area’s police for avoiding to take any action against the suspects due to their being influential.

They and other CRC activists also met Dadu SSP Shabbir Ahmed Sethar and urged him to help the family lodge a case against the suspects. On his directive, the Wahi Pandhi police registered the case and initiated an inquiry.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2024